“Green-Eyed Monster” (A Short Story)

Tell us about the last time you were really, truly jealous of someone. Did you act on it? Did it hurt your relationship?

In 1995, the Christmas toy craze became “Beanie Babies.” and young children were begging their parents and Santa Clause for their favorite Bennie Baby.

Samantha Childress was a seven-year-old homeless child, living in Fort Wayne Indiana who relocated to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving.

She prayed every night for her mother to find a permanent home for the two to live, but she also dreamed every night of having the Chocolate Moose Bennie Baby.

Just before Christmas of the same year, her mother obtained a well-paying job along with a two-bedroom apartment. The two enjoyed their best Christmas ever.

Samantha was excited when she began school in January until she sat across from her classmate, Christine Jefferson. Before Samantha sat in her seat, Christine introduced herself and she started talking.

Samantha like talking, but she quickly realized she was only listening as Christine’s talking began bragging about her Christmas Gift. A “Chocolate Moose Beanie Baby.” Christine repeatedly recited the poem that accompanied the Bennie Baby.

Licorice, gum, and peppermint candyThis moose always has these handyBut there is one more thing he likes to eatCan you guess his favorite treat?

For several weeks, Christine annoyed not only Samantha but all of the other students, and teachers. However, Samantha suffered the annoyance more than others.

Christine boasted about her Christmas’s gifts until February when she received another gift. She constantly talked about being Daddy’s Princes, so receiving gifts every week became the horror of every student in the second-grade classroom. Christine’s charming personality did not change during her time in elementary, middle and high school. She soon took on the nickname, “Talkative Christine.”

**********************************

Fast forward eighteen years and Samantha Childress is the assistant director of human resources for a large and lucrative publishing company in Chicago.

Her memories of Christine Jefferson flooded back when she opened a perspective employee’s file with name Christine Jefferson-Baylor.

Not knowing if this was the same Christine Jefferson from her childhood, Samantha’s feelings of jealousy and envious emotions resurfaced. Samantha did decide to handle the interview.

When Christine Jefferson Baylor entered Samantha Childress’s office for the interview, Samantha immediately recognized the woman as the Christine from her childhood.

Samantha, wanting to appear as professional as possible acknowledged knowing Christine from her childhood, hoping to put her at ease to help relax Christine’s nerves.

However, Christine could not recall Samantha, and after handshakes along with personal greetings with two other employees in the office to assist, the interview began.

When Christine was asked why she wanted to work for the publishing company. Christine Jefferson-Baylor began to explain her reasons and along with talking about being a stay at home mother until her children became of school aged.

Without pausing for a response, Christine continued boasting about her husband’s lucrative job, along with their summer and winter homes. She gloated about her husband paying for her master’s degrees and their personal connections with the president of the publishing company.

As the interview continued, each of Samantha’s co-workers asked Christine questions about the position she applied for. Christine explained how she began writing when she was in kindergarten, the number of books she has read and along with the number of short stories she has written. None of her writings was published or documented in any journals.

Suddenly, Christine noticed several Beanie Baby’s behind and on Samantha desk, and she began explaining how she possessed the entire original Bennie Baby collection, and she has amassed over six hundred and seventy-five Beanie Babies.

After the hour interview, most of which was listening to Christine brag, boast, and gloat about her life, family, homes, and husband. Samantha and her two co-workers were pleased to end the interview and watch Christine walk away.

When they began to discuss the meeting, one of the co-workers asked. Did she know she was interviewing for the Web Content Assistant position?

All three nodded in agreement, they did inform Christine. However, the two co-workers recognized Christine began bragging with glee when she viewed the Beanie Babies on Samantha’s Desk.

They decided to hire Christine, and she lasted less than a month.

Many co-workers complained about her excessive talking, and she was counseled on three occasions by her supervisor for her failure to proofread the documents she submitted or allow anyone else to correct her work. Her repeated grammatical and grammar errors became a strain on her editor. Christine was release based on dismal job performance and excessive talking.

Once the decision to release Christine was decided, Samantha and her director conducted the exit interview together in the conference room, and although most exit interviews take fifteen or twenty minutes. Christine Jefferson-Baylor took forty-five minutes.

As Samantha began the interview to explained the reasons why Christine’s was being released from her duties with the company.

Christine surprisingly sat silent for ten or possibly fifteen seconds, however, the next forty minutes, she explained her dissatisfaction with the company with bitterness and anger. She finally ended the interview, telling the two, she will notify the president of the publishing company through her husband about her dismissal.

Samantha and the director nodded their heads in agreement and exhaled deeply as they watched Christine Jefferson-Baylor walked out of the conference room.

Suddenly the president’s of the publishing company voice sounded on the conference speaker sitting on the conference table.

She agreed with Samantha and the human resources director’s decision to release Christine from her duties with the company. The president thanked both women for being so patient and listening as Christine ranted about her dismissal.

The president asked, Samantha, did you attended school with Christine?

Samantha, saying yes, went on to explain how Christine never recognized or recall knowing her from her childhood and they attended the same schools from the second grade through high school graduation.

Samantha went on to explain when she told Christine, they attend school together. Christine immediately spoke about the many gifts she received during her school years, and how she was a daddy’s girl.

The president again thanked Samantha and the director for a job well done, and she will handle any complaints coming from Christine Jefferson-Baylor.

When Samantha returned to her office, she sat in her seat behind her desk holding one of the Bennie Babies and all emotional, jealous and envy were gone.

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Travel blogger / Nomadic Adventurer

I'm a retiree voicing my wisdom, opinion, and thoughts about the retirement lifestyle and life in general as a travel blogger touring the US.
I’m a pre-published indie author of baby boomer romance and adventures, with a whimsical comedic side. I’m a bicyclist, kayaker, hiker, recreational vehicle enthusiast and all around beach bum.
I’m currently traveling the back roads of America, Canada, and Mexico documenting my adventures in print, photography, and video.
View all posts by Travel blogger / Nomadic Adventurer

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About Me

I'm a retiree voicing my wisdom, opinion, and thoughts about the retirement lifestyle and life in general as a travel blogger touring the US.
I’m a pre-published indie author of baby boomer romance and adventures, with a whimsical comedic side. I’m a bicyclist, kayaker, hiker, recreational vehicle enthusiast and all around beach bum.
I’m currently traveling the back roads of America, Canada, and Mexico documenting my adventures in print, photography, and video.